Library anxiety among undergraduate students in Greece

Abstract

Library anxiety is “an uncomfortable feeling or emotional disposition, experienced in a library setting, which has cognitive, affective, physiological, and behavioral ramifications” (Jiao et al., 1996, p. 152) that has been associated with low research and academic performance, amongst others. The purpose of the present study is to assess the levels of library anxiety of students of Greek Tertiary Education Institutions. Library anxiety was measured using the Greek version of the Library Anxiety Scale (G-LAS), in a sample of 279 undergraduate students. Overall, the majority of the students experience low levels of library anxiety (mean 2.4), while male participants reported statistically significant higher levels of anxiety than female. Of the eight dimensions of library anxiety, as measured by the G-LAS, students experience the highest levels of anxiety with rules, followed by library resources, technology and knowledge of library services. Results do not indicate statistically significant differences on anxiety levels among students in different academic years, between those studying Library Science and the remainder or with respect to age. The practical implications of the study findings are discussed.

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